How Philadelphia Secured Basic Rights for 750,000 Workers

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As Trump kneecaps workers’ rights across the country, the city’s political and labor leaders have forged an alternative that furnishes new safeguards for Philadelphians.

by Brock Hrehor June 18, 2025

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker recently signed the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights (POWER) Act into law, strengthening protections against wage theft and employer retaliation for nearly 750,000 workers across the city. The bill’s passage is even more remarkable coming as it does on the heels of historic hostility to workers’ rights.

The POWER Act addresses long-standing issues surrounding the enforcement of existing worker protections like the 2020 Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, which codified safeguards for caregivers. The new law, passed by the Philadelphia City Council in May, shifts the burden of proof when there are allegations of crimes such as wage theft from employees to employers and increases penalties for those violations.

Previously, workers who won a judgment against an employer could only collect the money that was owed to them. Any additional penalties levied by the Department of Labor were directed to the city. Under the POWER Act, workers who win a judgment against an employer are now entitled to the money they’re owed plus damages (up to $2,000 for each violation), which compensates workers who have suffered economically, physically, and emotionally.

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A broad mix of labor groups, including the SEIU and the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, as well as alt-labor organizations (community-based groups that organize workers but aren’t traditional labor unions) like the Philly Black Worker Project (PBWP) and the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) supported the legislation. “We really see the same employers coming up again and again, and that abuse really thrives in silence,” said Nicole Kligerman, Pennsylvania director of the NDWA. “I’m hopeful that this more punitive measure against bad bosses can serve as a preventative one as well for not wanting to be listed as such.”

https://prospect.org/labor/2025-06-18-how-philadelphia-secured-basic-rights-for-750-000-workers/